The City of Columbus celebrated the grand opening of a new protected bike lane on Summit Street December 3. Protected bike lanes are physically separated from traffic and the sidewalk. The protected bike lanes are part of an effort to add standard bike lanes to Summit Street between East 11th Avenue and I-670, and on North 4th Street between East Hudson Street and I-670. The project which began construction in October 2014 is the first of its kind in Central Ohio. Along the way, Yay Bikes! collaborated with the Department of Public Service to provide ongoing feedback to city engineers.

To complete the resurfacing and bike lanes project, ODOT will resurface both 3rd Street and 4th Streets between I-670 and East Fulton Street in the spring of 2016. Following the resurfacing, the City of Columbus will install standard bike lanes on both streets between I-670 and East Fulton Street.

In addition to a greater sense of security for bicyclists who are less experienced in riding with traffic on the street, bike lanes result in motorists driving slower because roads seem narrower. While there are many benefits to protected bike lanes included in our roads, the addition of bus bulbs, queue boxes and a new type of traffic provide an opportunity to highlight tips for traffic safety.